Today is Aug. 11, 2023, and here’s what you need to know:

Recent remarks by Gov. Jared Polis that Democrats believe abortion is “bad” and should be minimized, and his implication that parents should find a “solution” if they need more preschool hours than what the state offers, have irked his Democratic allies in Colorado.

In response to the criticism, the governor defended his comments, saying society needs to find ways to reduce unwanted pregnancies.  

Abortion has become the most divisive issue separating progressives and conservatives. The Democratic orthodoxy is to view abortion as health care and to insist that the right to the procedure should be unfettered. Meanwhile, conservative Republicans maintain that any abortion should be illegal.  

Polis made the remark on abortion on July 23, when the governor appeared with Utah Gov. Spencer Cox on CNN’s “State of the Union.” The two, who are members of the Western Governors’ Association, discussed an initiative on how politicians can work together better.

Four days after one of Gov. Jared Polis’ appointees to the state veterinary board resigned, a contractor hired to look at her furnace contacted the Colorado Humane Society to report he would not step into the house again because of the smell and horrible conditions.

The report said the Ken Caryl area home was full of trash, with a “river of urine” running into a drain in the basement, where 13 birds were kept.

The Humane Society contacted the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department and on March 9, deputies cited Ellen Kessler on 13 counts of animal cruelty.

Kessler pleaded guilty last September to one charge of misdemeanor animal cruelty. She received a deferred sentence and was assessed fines of $1,413.50. That’s on top of impound fees of $515, plus attorney’s fees, veterinarian costs and the cost to clean up her home.

Polis’ office declined to comment on the record.

What if in between math and English classes, high schoolers learned how to weld or code or perform first aid? 

That’s the vision state and national leaders shared Thursday during the Unlocking Pathways Summit at the Community College of Aurora. This latest in a national series of events saw educators, Colorado politicians and members of President Joe Biden’s administration come together to reimagine the high school experience. 

Colorado is one of the most educated states in the country, yet the state’s workforce is struggling with a talent shortage. There are two job openings in Colorado for every one unemployed worker, according to state estimates. 

“We are moving towards a skills-based economy,” Gov. Jared Polis said at the summit. “There is still a mismatch of skills between those who are unemployed and seeking work, and all the great jobs that are out there.” 

A left-leaning nonprofit on Thursday launched a six-figure ad campaign blasting U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert over her opposition to veterans health care legislation, but a spokesman for the Silt Republican denounced the attack as a “hit job” that ignores the lawmaker’s record supporting vets.

Rocky Mountain Values, a progressive, dark-money group that announced in April that it plans to spend millions going after Boebert before next year’s election, hit the airwaves with a 30-second TV ad featuring Pueblo Marine veteran George Autobee.

The ad debuted on the anniversary of President Joe Biden signing the PACT Act, which expanded health care and disability compensation for veterans exposed to toxic substances during their service. Billed as the largest expansion of veterans benefits in decades, the $325 billion legislation passed last summer with bipartisan support, drawing opposition from 11 Republican senators and 147 GOP House members, including Boebert.

“I know about service. I watched my brothers die on the battlefield,” Autobee says in the ad. “There’s one thing that sticks with you from serving is you leave no one behind. But Lauren Boebert voted against healthcare for veterans who were exposed to the toxic burn pits.”

A jury will decide whether Colorado Department of Corrections officials violated an incarcerated man’s rights by terminating his religious diet when he purchased multiple items that allegedly were in conflict with his meal plan.

On Aug. 3, U.S. District Court Senior Judge William J. Martínez agreed a jury could believe Ray Anthony Smith’s claims that prison officials violated his right to religious exercise. Although the government insisted Smith purchased food that was not compliant with his Islamic diet – or, alternatively, that employees made a mistake in thinking the food was not compliant – Martínez noted prisoners have a clearly established right to meals that conform to their beliefs.

Martínez also advocated for a “much-to-be-desired pretrial resolution” of the dispute, given that the lawsuit has been pending for three years and Smith, who is still incarcerated, is representing himself in court.